Saturday After-Dinner Walk

Check out Liam's bamboo pajamas!

Heat Wave Day II

Mark made breakast-in-bed for Melanie while we all listened to classical music. Liam ran some errands in Montclair in the morning and went on a neighborhood walk in the evening.

Let's Talk This Out

Melanie and I tried out the Baby Bjorn today (aka, The "Bjorn Borg") and went on a walk to the local nursery. Both the sling and the Bjorn Borg have an initial upsetting affect and then a subsequent sedative effect. Both are easy for the parent to wear, though the Bjorn Borg took a minute or two to figure out for both Liam and I. The sling is nice for indoors but the Baby Bjorn Borg is best for walks and longer travel. LIam wasn't as interested in discussing this as I was.

Melanie and I half-jokingly considered the names Agapanthus and Ceanothus. Here's Agapanthus with Mark and a blue flower.

Eight Sixteen

I always thought people with kids took too much stuff with them on outings -- its just a short hike, do you really need to find and bring all that stuff, I'd think to myself. I told myself that I wouldn't be that way when I had kids and I knew if I ended up being that way (even without a kid, I've been known to spend time finding my wallet, sun glasses, GPS device, cell phone and etc.), being married to the most efficient woman in the world would straighten me out.

Today we went for a 10 minute walk with Liam in one of the many nearby parks and I think it took me 20 minutes to get ready for it. It wasn't terrible, but I've got work to do -- it was the first time the stroller made its way to the trunk. I always appreciated how my parents seemed to do their thing and we were along for the ride -- it made for far more entertaining trips that way -- worrying too much about me may have limited my experiences....but wait...today is only Liam's 10th day on this side of Melanie's belly. There's time for improvement! All said and done, we had a very nice day and while we're getting a bit more acclimated to the new demands, days seem much shorter than they used to. 10 days of Liam's life have gone by. There are only 620 more 10-day sections of life before Liam turns 18.

Friday, Aug 15

Melanie took Liam on their first solo outing today, heading down to Tulip Grove in Montclair village, near our house. All parents in Oakland/Berkeley and maybe even the Bay Area should know about Tulip Grove. Its a small store of clothing and essentials for moms but its really much more, with classes, workshops, support, a scale, a private room for breast-feeding, the best lactation consulting we found anywhere and most importantly some very enjoyable, fun-spirited, helpful, cool women with the most intelligent baby-attitudes we've found so far. We've gotten better all-around advice from them than from the hospital or our pediatrician. They've created and are expanding a network for baby-having and baby-raising. Melanie's first solo outing with Liam was a success.

thetulipgrove.com/